Aurora, Colorado

STEP UP YOUR MARKETING

Sign up to receive marketing tips and promotions!

Aurora Business Signs

The town of Aurora was settled in the 1880s under the name ‘Fletcher’, after a local businessman. In 1903, it was incorporated as the ‘Town of Fletcher’, even though Fletcher (the man) had fled the area after the Silver Crash of 1893. Local citizens decided to rename the town Aurora in 1907, and it was subsequently incorporated into a city in 1929. Aurora has also been given two nicknames as well: The Gateway to the Rockies and The Sunrise of Colorado.

According to a 2013 US Census estimate, the ‘Home Rule Municipality’ of Aurora has a population of 345,803 people. This makes it the 54th largest city (by population) in the United States and the third most populous city in the state of Colorado. Aurora is a principal city in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area (Metro Denver). According to a 2015 Census Bureau estimate, this metropolitan area has a population of 2,754,258 people. This makes it the 21st most populous metropolitan statistical area in the country.

One of Aurora’s largest employers is Buckley Air Force Base. Named in honor of WWI Army pilot First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley, this Air Force Space Command base was built in 1942 “and serves more than 92,000 active duty, National Guard, Reserve, and retired personnel throughout the Front Range Community.” The 460th Space Wing is garrisoned there.

The nearby University of Colorado (established in 1876) built its Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora in 2006. This campus contains the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the CU School of Pharmacy, the CU College of Nursing, the University of Colorado School of Dentistry, and the Colorado School of Public Health. In total, 4,000 students attend the campus.

Aurora has several other major employers including University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora Public Schools, Community College of Aurora, The Children’s Hospital (Aurora, Colorado), Raytheon Company, Kaiser Permanente, ADT Security Services, Lockheed Martin, Mexicana de Aviacion, and the Aurora Mental Health Center.

The Aurora Parks and Recreation Department claims the city is home to more than 100 parks and 6,000 acres of open space and natural areas. The city is also home to six award-winning municipal golf courses: Aurora Hills, Meadow Hills, Murphy Creek, Saddle Rock, Springhill, and Fitzsimons. Other golf courses in the area include Blackstone Country Club, CommonGround Golf Course, Heather Ridge Country Club, Heritage Eagle Bend Golf and Country Club, John F. Kennedy Golf Course, and Valley Country Club.

DeLaney Farm serves as the site for Aurora’s famous historic round barn. This farm is 130 acres, contains an organic garden managed by Denver Urban Gardens, and two structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

As for sports, Aurora is part of Denver’s metropolitan area, and therefore does not serve as the home for any major professional teams. However, in 2014, Aurora hosted the U.S.A. Powerlifting Raw Nationals and the IPF Open Powerlifting World Championships.

Own a small business in the Aurora area? Considering it? These resources may prove beneficial to you: